The invention relates to a unit bearing assembly with an elastomeric bearing body which is accommodated in a rigid bearing housing with an opening at least on one side, wherein at least one supporting member which is supported on the bearing body against the bearing housing passes through the at least one opening, and wherein relative movements of the bearing body with respect to the bearing housing caused by forces applied to the assembly along three mutually orthogonally extending directions of the bearing body on both sides of a neutral position of the respective relative movement can be limited by stops arranged on the bearing housing.
Such unit bearing assemblies are known and are used to limit movements caused by the motor which are transmitted via a supporting member to the bearing body of the assembly, wherein the occurring forces are dissipated at the linkages on the bodywork. They are used in large numbers especially in the field of automotive engineering, in particular for supporting the transmission. Simple embodiments of such bearings consist essentially of an elastomeric bearing body and a rigid bearing housing surrounding and accommodating the bearing body. When the bearings are used as intended, the respective bearing bodies move relative inside the bearing housing during the operation of a vehicle equipped with those bearing bodies due to the occurring loads. These relative movements of the bearing body must in this case be limited with regard to the respective possible excursions in the different directions. Therefore, the bearings are provided with stops which are formed by the bearing housing by virtue of a corresponding shape of the housing or are at least formed on the bearing housing by corresponding additional elements.
For use in automotive engineering, stops for the relative movements of the bearing body in the three main load directions are required. These stops limit the movement of the bearing body in the X direction, i.e. in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, in the Y direction, i.e. transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle or the direction of travel, as well as in the Z direction, i.e. with respect to the vertical extent of the vehicle, both with respect to the respective positive as well as the corresponding negative component of the corresponding directional vector.
According to the state of the art, it is customary for implementing corresponding stops to design the bearing housing either in a multi-part fashion or to use for at least one direction of movement of the bearing body an external surface as a stop at the installation site of the bearing. In any case, the final assembly of the bearing, namely the insertion of the bearing body into the bearing housing, takes place in connection with the installation of the bearing at the installation site. In the first-mentioned case, when the unit bearing is installed, the housing parts of the unit bearing together with the bearing body are assembled with fastening elements, preferably screws, with which the bearing is secured at the installation site.
The prior art discloses solutions for such application, for example in DE 10 2010 043 165 A1, which rely on bearing housings composed of several parts for limiting in the three spatial directions the movements transmitted by the supporting member to the bearing body. When assembling the several parts of the bearing housing, at least one joining or assembling process must be carried out in order to limit movements of damping elements arranged on the supporting member in three spatial directions.
It is therefore the object of the present invention to provide a unit bearing assembly with a stable, robust and dimensionally stable bearing housing, which has high ductility and provides stops for a supporting member engaging in the unit bearing assembly to limit movements in three spatial directions.